“I Never Gave In”: An Interview with Survivor’s Ryan O.

Ryan O. was pretty much Andrew’s right-hand man on Morgan tribe. After Andrew was voted out, Ryan knew he was next. Here he discusses some of his plans, as well as the overall situation throughout the game:

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Ryan, and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for RealityNewsOnline! We'll start before the game began. What did you do to prepare for being on Survivor – watching previous series, studying strategy, etc.?

Ryan O.: I have been watching the show since day one, studying how a person like myself can go far in a game like this. I also swam tons of laps in my pool to get into shape. Thank god I did ‘cause we didn't have too many good swimmers on our team.

RNO: You indicated that you bonded with Andrew right away, yet both Lill and Skinny Ryan have told us in interviews that they felt like outsiders, also right away. Why do you think there was such a difference among the Morgan tribe members?

Ryan O.: I think they could have interacted more with the tribe, but Lill kept to herself and Ryan was always recovering from challenges.

RNO: Before Rupert came for his visit, Morgan tribe was having trouble getting food. He came over, caught some fish, and showed you how to use the spear gun. Yet after he left, what we saw still indicated Morgan was going hungry. Were you able to catch many fish after Rupert left – if not, why not?

Ryan O.: I was able to catch one fish, but it was hard fishing in our bay. Drake camp had an abundance of fish, where we didn't. I was also the only person to go out to fish, Rupert had help from Burton and Shawn. Rupert caught 30 or so fish a day at Drake, but at Morgan he caught about 5.

RNO: What was the biggest surprise you faced in the game (being dumped overboard with just your clothes, the return of the Outcasts, the Merge, or something else)?

Ryan O.: The return of the Outcasts killed my chances in the game, but I never gave in and tried my hardest to stay in the game as long as possible.

RNO: Speaking of never giving up, several times in your last episode, you talked about how you were not a quitter. Was this meant to bring up images of Osten or were you just speaking in general terms – in either case, what did you think about Osten quitting?

Ryan O.: I was speaking in general terms, but being out there you feel like giving up, especially have our butts handed to us week in and week out. It gets demoralizing, but you have to fight through it. I am not in Osten's shoes so I have no idea how sick he really was. I think I was a little disappointed in him, but he has to deal with that not me.

RNO: You’ve already hinted rather strongly at this, but what are your feelings about the Outcast tribe and the return of Lill and Burton?

Ryan O.: They didn't belong in either camp, period. The whole premise of Survivor is outwit, outlast, outplay – and Burton and Lill didn't do any of those.

RNO: Once you came over to Drake's beach and formed the Balboa tribe, we heard accusations that you and the other ex-Morgans were lazy. What do you think of that portrayal?

Ryan O.: I didn't see any need to overwork myself knowing that I was next to go once Andrew had left. I needed to win immunity bad. I did my fair share but they edited to look like I was just relaxing. Drakes had emergencies about water, wood, etc., for no reason when we were just fine.

RNO: In the immunity challenge, why didn't anyone put coconuts in Rupert's trough – was everybody afraid to get on his bad side?

Ryan O.: Yeah everyone was afraid of Rupert – it was pretty funny. The only reason I didn't put one in his is because I despised Christa so much.

RNO: Also in the immunity challenge, was anybody fooled by the act Lill put on about Burton, trying to cloak her partnership with him?

Ryan O.: It seemed a little strange and Lill is no actor, so the act was laid on a little thick. I couldn’t have cared less though I was bummed about my situation.

RNO: Rupert was clearly dominating the game. Was his dominance as clear to you then as it is now?

Ryan O.: Yes, he seemed to be the backbone of Drake. If Rupert was to go then it would be a lot easier to win. That is why I wanted to get some people together to get rid of Rupert.

RNO: Why do you think Burton rejected your offer to band together and eliminate Rupert, and did Tijuana and Darrah ever try to sound out some of the others about Rupert as we saw the three of you discussing?

Ryan O.: I think Burton was worried about my power in the game. Maybe he just didn't want me around anymore to give him extra competition.

RNO: Did you know that Tijuana and Darrah were voting against you – if so, why?

Ryan O.: No, I was shocked that they decided to do that. I was more hurt by the fact that Darrah voted for me, cause I saved her numerous times. She would have been gone day 9 if it wasn't for me.

RNO: Thanks again, Ryan!

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com. Thanks to the other writers of RNO for interview question suggestions!

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